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FSU Football: A First Look at Wake Forest
Mitch White/FSU athleticsThey’re not in the top 25 of either poll, but through the early parts of the 20116 season, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons are quietly one of the ACC’s pleasant surprises. Under third-year head coach Dave Clawson, Wake Forest is off to a 5-1 start and one win away from becoming bowl-eligible.
This week, the Demon Deacons will be 3-touchdown underdogs against No. 14 Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium — a place where they haven’t scored a touchdown in 10 years. Last season’s contest in Winston-Salem however, was close as FSU needed a late interception from Tyler Hunter to seal a 24-16 victory.
On Wake Forest
Record: 5-1 (2-1 ACC)
Offensive Ranks: 110th in yards per game (347), 107th in passing yards per game (170), 63rd in rushing yards per game (176.5), 101st in points per game (24.3).
Defensive Ranks: 42nd in yards per game allowed (368), 92nd in passing yards per game allowed (249.2), 23rd in rushing yards per game allowed (118.2), 18th in points per game allowed (18).
Last Game: Defeated Syracuse, 28-9.
On Offense
Dave Clawson may be an offensive coordinator by trade, but since arriving in Winston-Salem, it has been the weakest link of his football team. Over the last four weeks however, Wake has seen dramatic improvement, averaging nearly 29 points per game.
Compared to last season, Wake Forest is averaging a full yard per carry more than last season although at an even four yards per tote, it ranks just 91st in the country. Matt Colburn, a sophomore, leads the team with 361 yards rushing through six games, but quarterbacks John Wolford and Kendall Hinton have accounted for about 38 percent of Wake Forest’s rushing offense and seven of its 13 rushing touchdowns.
The Demon Deacons have decent depth at the pass-catching positions with five players already with 10 catches or more — the same number as FSU. Tabari Hines, a sophomore, leads the team with 17 catches for 226 yards while tight end Cam Serigne is one of the best the Seminoles will see all season. Sophomore left tackle Justin Herron might be the best Wake Forest has up front. The Demon Deacons have turned the ball over just six times this season.
On Defense
The defense has been the heart and soul of the Wake Forest team so far and is coming off a dominant performance against an uptempo Syracuse offense. Through six games, Wake Forest has forced 11 turnovers — the same number it forced all last season. Wake Forest also has 18 sacks already this year after recording just 20 in 2015.
Redshirt junior defensive end Duke Ejiofor has anchored the defensive front with 6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, which ranks second in the ACC, and a pair of forced fumbles. Defensive end Julian Jackson is also off to a splendid start with three sacks.
The best player for Wake defensively might be senior linebacker Marquel Lee. Lee had a career-high 15 tackles in last week’s win over Syracuse and is third in the ACC with nine tackles for loss. In the secondary, redshirt freshman safety Jesse Bates leads the team with 45 total tackles and two interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown. Senior cornerback Brad Watson also has a pair of picks for a Wake Forest defense that has already scored two touchdowns.
On Special Teams
Neither Sam Swank or Alex Kinal are on the roster for Wake Forest, but the Demon Deacons have still been solid in the kicking game. Kicker Mike Weaver is 7-for-8 on field goal attempts this season for an .875 percentage, which leads ACC kickers who have at least five field goal attempts. Weaver and Dom Maggio have combined to average nearly 43 yards per punt this season. Returning kicks and punts however, has not been a strength for Wake Forest.
Summary
The Demon Deacons aren’t the most talented team Florida State will face this season, but they are disciplined and tend not to beat themselves. Wake is averaging just four penalties per game for about 35 yards. Wake Forest isn’t a team that can light up the scoreboard or gain yardage in chunks, but it plays good defense and tends to make very few mistakes. After playing the Seminoles tough last season and winning impressively last week, the Demon Deacons should come to Tallahassee with a decent amount of confidence.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
About Mike Ferguson
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole and former editor of Noled Out. Mike has more than seven years experience as a sports writer including the last four in print and online media. Mike graduated from Florida State University in 2009 with a Bachelors in Religion and a minor in Communications. Mike provided press coverage of Florida State's run to the 2013 BCS National Championship. Mike is also a news reporter at Polk County's newspaper, The Ledger in Lakeland, Florida. and contributes to Athlon Sports and ACCSports.com. Mike has been featured on sites as prominent as Yahoo Sports, FoxSports.com, Associated Press and the front page of SI.com while interviewing athletes as high profile as 2013 National League MVP, Andrew McCutchen. Email Mike at Mike@TheDailyNole.com. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson.
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